Up To No Good

So at park day, someone was in my face about now my special needs kid can't get to the park. I mean he can, but he chooses not to, and I respect that (because if you make him go, he freaks out at All The People).

Granted, this person doesn't have my eternal respect for a) politeness and b) understanding, but still. She went all out on "what was wrong with him" (btw, her kid? Major issues. 'Nuff said) and "if he was ever going to get better" and then ended up on "poor you, since you can't go anywhere."

I can't?

Dh works at home, and ds is 11. Though he can't navigate park day even with me there very easily, at home, he is quite competent. He does not cook when we are not at home, he knows the emergency things to do, we have neighbors nearby, etc.

She FREAKED when I told her he stayed at home by himself. First I had to assure her that a) it is legal and b) that it doesn't happen that often but that c) we were fine with it. Her kids? The "normal" ones? She admitted they would be scared to death if she left them.

Uh huh.

Get your freak on somewhere else lady. Normal is as normal does. No, ds will never work for a company in a cubicle, but luckily we don't value that kind of "normalcy" in our house.

If I were the immature type, I might say something about comparative intelligence here. Luckily, I am not.

;-P

Posted by tracy at 06:53 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

Ingredients:

10 oz firm goat's cheese (you can use fresh mozarella if you have an allergy like Ron does. Well Ron, it's true, what do you mean I can't tell them? Oh bother. Go on now)
2 tbsp flour
1 egg (make certain the garden gnomes haven't been at the chickens!)
2 oz fresh bread crumbs
1 tsp olive oil
4 tomatoes
1 onion
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
6 tbsp fresh mint

Cut the goat's cheese into thick slices. I make two for Mr. Weasley, and of course Ron eats as much as he does, and if Harry is visiting, of course we'll need more. Oh, and now Fleur. Yes, well...

Beat the egg and pour it into a shallow bowl.

Mix the bread crumbs and thyme together (and remember fondly when the time turners were around before that dreadful incident at the Ministry... of course we don't blame you Ron dear, why would you think that? Oh, no Harry, of course not you either, yes be a dear and sit there...)

Wave your wand over the mixture three times and say the following charm:

Umbra es caseus!

Dip each slice of cheese into the egg (Fred and George, what did I tell you about those skewers! OUT NOW!) and then into the bread crumbs, coating them well.

Place the coated cheese slices on a plate and chill. Wave your wand and say: optime quaeso!

Make the salad by chopping the tomatoes, peel and finely chop onion and garlic, put the tomatoes, olive oil and garlic in a bowl. Tear the mint leaves and add them to the bowl. Toss the salad well and put it onto plates. Put 4 tsp oil in the pan and heat over medium heat for 1 minute. Fry the chilled goat's cheese slices for 2 minutes on each side, until they are golden.

Put 2 -4 slices on top of each plate of salad. Serve immediately, then make Fred and George do the dishes.

Posted by tracy at 05:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Ginny's Chicken Kebabs
lotsa chicken
2 large lemons
3 small or 1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
1 cup olive oil
paprika
kebab skewers
mint sprig for decoration

Cut chicken into pieces about 1.5" square
cut onion into large chunks
cut lemon into large chunks

Assemble kebabs using the following spell, wands at the ready:

Venite ad kebabum!
citreum marinie!

At this point, you will need to wave your wand at Fred and George, who will be fencing with the kebab spears. I suggest you use a bat bogey hex, because anything harsher will leave them angry at you and you won't want that to happen!

Use your wand to sprinkle paprika over the kebabs. Mix the garlic with the olive oil and any extra lemon juice, and brush over the kebabs.

Posted by tracy at 05:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)